Secrets of the Hidden Temples
by Creature of Shadow
Summary: A Great Evil will come upon this land. In truth, it shall come unto all those who dwell upon the face of the whole earth...Take heed and prepare, for the fate of the world lies with this child.
1. Fate Is Set In Motion

**Secrets of the Hidden Temples.**

**DISCLAIMER: I Do Not Own Inuyasha, Or the other show that is tied in with this story, which I will have a disclaimer for at the end.**

**A/N: Ok, here's the first chapter to my newest story.(Obviously. ;D) I hope you like it, this will be a longer fic, so there is only so much going on in this chap. And also, this story is rated M for much later chapters. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Fate Is Set In Motion...**

"_**A Great Evil will come upon this land. In truth**__**, it shall come upon all those who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. It will steal power, and w**__**reak havoc over the people and other creature's of the world, intent on taking all life for itself. Throughout these years, every period shall be accompanied by darkness, clashing in rivalry . Such are the laws of nature and balance. When you see the darkness growing in the world today, you will realize that this means there is equal light growing as well. Of all the people who have ever lived, in all the eras in history, she will be the one to broach the window of time during which the universe will bear witness to the ultimate conflict. The battle between absolute Dark, versus the most pure Light. The Evil will have countless numbers of youkai at its beckon call, the force of good will have the very elements on its side. On the eve of her nineteenth year, a sword made of stars will appear in the night sky. Only those touched by this prophecy will be exposed to this phenomenon, and it will point the light to her only living aid. Though the stage is set, we are unable to predict who will emerge victorious. The flow of time is clouded in our vision, and it is unknown to us when this cataclysmic event will take place. You must hide the Light, in a time several eons from present so that she may grow enough to defend herself. The mother and her children may pass through the barrier, but the patriarch must remain behind to seal the portal until the Light is needed once again. Take heed and prepare, for the fate of the world lies with this child."**_

Two figures sat in darkness in a forest just outside a small village bordering the western lands.

"Is it done?" a female voice questioned her companion.

"It is. The elements have been locked away within the child." a male voice responded. "You will need to leave soon, for the seals will only provide so much protection."

The woman sighed sadly. "I know. Are the guardians in place?"

"They are." he told her.

"Then I suppose it's time to go. Will I ever see you again?" she asked.

"I do not know, love. The sages were uncertain of the time it will take for the Great Evil to arise. That is one of the many reasons you must depart from this world."

The woman sighed again, rubbing her hand over her protruding abdomen absently.

"I love you, my husband."

"And I you. Be well, and keep our treasures safe." he replied.

"I will. Goodbye." she called as she floated down into the darkness.

"Goodbye." he answered, deep longing lacing his voice.

****************Three Thousand Years In The Future****************

"I'll see you in a week, mom! Bye!" Kagome called to her mother as she raced to the well house.

"Goodbye, dear! Take care of yourself, and tell Inuyasha I said hello!" her mother called from the doorway.

"I will!" Kagome promised as she lept into the murky depths of the old well.

She sighed happily when she felt the familiar pull of magic grasp her form firmly, taking her back to her friends in the past. It had been three years since she had been forced five hundred years into the past by a nasty old centipede youkai. Three years of battling youkai, the evil hanyou Naraku, and dealing with Inuyasha' brashness.

Kagome smiled to herself, she loved every minute of it.

"What the hell took you so long, wench! You're late!" a familiar voice grumped at her when she landed on the soft dirt at the bottom of the well.

_'Well, almost every minute.'_ Kagome thought wryly.

"Quit gripping, and help me out of here will ya?" Kagome said. "And I'm only a couple hours late, I slept in. I think I deserve a little extra sleep once in a while." she added as Inuyasha yanked her out of the well.

"Keh, we ain't got time for you to be lazy!" Inuyasha scolded, following her down the path to the village. "In case you've forgotten, there are still jewel shards to find, and youkai to slay! Not to mention Naraku!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Have you found any new leads?" she asked.

"That's not the point!"

"Uhhuh, that's what I thought. Once again, you're in a rush to nowhere."

"Keh, just shut up and keep walking."

Kagome was about to respond when an orange blur launched itself into her arms.

"Kagome!"

"Hi Shippo!" Kagome said with a giggle.

"I missed you so much! Inuyasha's always extra mean when you're gone." the little fox kit cried tragically.

"Shut it, runt! Nobody asked for your opinion!" Inuyasha snapped, winding up to bop Shippo on the head.

"Sit boy." Kagome said calmly, continuing on to the village leaving the grumbling hanyou face first in the dirt.

Once they reached the village, Kagome smiled and waved to her feudal friends.

"Kagome, ye have returned." Kaede stated, smiling.

"Welcome back Kagome." Sango said with a wave of her own.

"Good to see you, Kagome. I trust your visit home went well?" Miroku greeted her.

"Yeah, I had a great time with my family. Though I totally bombed my math test." Kagome replied, frowning slightly.

"You wouldn't have to worry about those test thingy's if you just stayed here with us, Kagome." Shippo stated.

"Yeah, but I don't know if I'll be allowed to stay here once we complete the jewel, so I want to be prepared to live in my time just in case." Kagome responded matter of factly.

"Understandable." Miroku agreed.

"Where did Inuyasha get to?" Sango asked curiously.

"Kagome sat him into a crater, so he's probly back there pickin dirt out of his teeth, pouting." Shippo said smugly.

"What did you say, shrimp?" Inuyasha growled, hauling Shippo up by the tail to glare at him.

"Waaah! Inuyasha you jerk! Lemme go!" Shippo cried, struggling to get away.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome started warningly. Just then, a familiar tingle tickled the edges of her senses. "Guys, I sense a jewel shard!"

"Which way?" Inuyasha asked, pausing long enough for Shippo to blast his face with a burst of his fox fire.

"Why you...!" Inuyasha yelled, starting after the kit.

"Inuyasha, the shard." Kagome reminded him.

"Keh, which way?" he repeated.

"Seems like it's coming from the Eastern Mountains." Kagome supplied.

"Well, what're we waitin for? Let's get going!" Inuyasha said, kneeling so Kagome could climb onto his back.

"Right!" Kagome replied.

Once Sango and Miroku seated themselves on Kirara's back, they headed for the gloomy looking mountain range.

The group traveled without pause until dusk. They stopped in a clearing and began setting up camp.

After dinner had been cooked and eaten, Kagome looked over and gestured pleasantly to Sango.

"I think I saw a hot spring not far from here, care to join me Sango?" she asked.

"Sure!" Sango replied.

"Can I come too?" Shippo pleaded.

"Of course Shippo!" Kagome said, patting his head affectionately.

"Women and their baths." Inuyasha said, rolling his eyes after the girls had left.

"You know, bathing a little more frequently wouldn't hurt you either Inuyasha. You're starting to smell a little ripe." Miroku said wrinkling his nose. "I wouldn't mind taking a soak myself." he added with a mischievous glint in his violet orbs.

"Keh, you just wanna go spy on them, ya pervert." Inuyasha grunted sourly.

"Not true, my grumpy friend. I merely wish to ease this ache in my back. If the Kami's should happen to bless us with such a magnificent view, it is by their will, not mine." Miroku replied defensively.

"Yeah right. Go ahead and go if you want. It's your funeral." Inuyasha told him, jumping into a tree to rest.

"You're sure you don't want to join me?" Miroku drawled.

"Not on you're life, monk. I've been sat enough today."

"As you wish." Miroku said, following the trail of squashed grass the girls had left behind.

"Can you still feel the shard's presence, Kagome?" Sango asked, sitting on a rock across from the young miko.

"Yeah, I don't think it's really moved at all." Kagome answered.

"That's fortunate. I wonder what sort of youkai has gotten it's claws on it this time."

"Guess we'll have to wait and see. Though it is kind of strange that it hasn't gone tearing through the countryside yet."

Sango regarded her for a moment. "Yeah, you're right. Most youkai would have demolished a village or two by now. Not that it's a bad thing it hasn't, but it's odd all the same.

"Guys, Miroku's coming. I can smell him, and he's not far." Shippo informed them.

Sango sighed. "He'll never change."

"Don't give up hope yet, Sango. I'm sure he'll grow out of it eventually. But until then, how about we mess with him a little bit?" Kagome said devilishly.

Sango shared a quick look with Shippo, before both raised their eyes to Kagome and nodded. "We're in!" they replied in unison.

"Ok, so here's what we'll do..."

Moments later, Miroku quietly hid behind a large oak tree bordering the hot spring, waiting for the opportune moment to sneak a peak at the maidens bathing.

"Miroku, oh Miroku! Won't you come join us?" Sango's voice ghosted down to his ears.

"We'll wash your back, if you wash ours." Kagome's voice whispered sensually.

Miroku's eyes widened noticably. Muttering a quick prayer of thanks to Buddha, he quickly spun around ran stepped into the warm water, trying to tear his robes from his body as fast as possible.

Naked as the day he was born, Miroku stood with his arms spread wide. "Alright ladies, shall we...Gaaaaah!"

There was indeed another someone in the springs with him, though it was by no means the ones he had been looking for. Before him standing in calf-deep water was the wrinkliest, fat old man he had ever had the displeasure of laying his eyes on.

"Ack! What do you think you are doing, young man! Don't you know it's rude to intrude upon someone bathing?" the old fat man chided. He paused, and looked the shuddering monk up and down slowly. "Though I suppose we could share. Tell me, young monk, can you scrub my backside for me? I just can't seem to reach." he added with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows.

"Aaaah! So sorry, didn't mean to interrupt you, old man. Good day!" Miroku cried, grabbing his discarded clothing and running for camp as fast as his legs would take him.

The fat man smirked, then a 'pop' sound was heard and the old man was replace by a chuckling Shippo.

Kagome and Sango jumped down from the rock they had been perched atop of, laughing hysterically.

"Great job Shippo!" Kagome praised between fits of laughter.

"Yeah, you got him good! That'll teach him to spy on people bathing!" Sango cheered.

"At least for awhile." Kagome chirped.

"I really fooled him, didn't I?" Shippo said proudly.

"You sure did, kiddo!" Kagome told him with a hug. "Now let's get back to camp and see how our dear friend is doing."

When they arrived back at the clearing, Miroku was trembling against the base of a tree, holding his knees to his chest.

"Why Miroku, what ever's the matter?" Sango asked sweetly.

"I don't want to talk about it." Miroku said in a horrified tone.

The threesome laughed again, and settled down for the night to sleep.

The next morning went normally. The group got up, ate a quick breakfast, and continued on their journey.

By mid-afternoon, they reached the base of the mountain.

"The shard is very close, I think it's over there." Kagome said, pointing to a vine covered path.

"Let's go then, I ain't got all day." Inuyasha replied, brandishing his claws to clear the way.

About a mile and a half later, the group reached what looked like a sheer face of the mountain.

"It appears we've hit a dead end." Miroku observed.

"But I can feel the shard right through there!" Kagome protested, pointing at the solid looking wall.

"She's right, there's something back there. I can smell it." Inuyasha agreed. He walked up to the wall, and sliced through the vegetation hanging thickly from the stone. The greenery fell with a thud, revealing a cave entrance.

"Ha, I knew it!" Kagome said triumphantly.

"Indeed. Shall we?" Miroku replied, walking into the dimly lit opening.

Inside the cave, they came face to face with a huge temple built into the rock of the cave wall.

"Whoa." Kagome said in awe.

"It's incredible, and it looks as if no one has been here in centuries." Sango remarked.

"Is the shard here somewhere, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yeah, I think it's inside." she replied.

Inuyasha nodded, and started for the large wooden doors in front of the temple.

Before he reached them, however, the doors blew out followed by a large rock, which landed directly on top of the hanyou.

"Argh! What the hell?! Get this thing off me!" he growled agitatedly.

"Who dares disturb my peace?" a deep, rumbling voice demanded from the shadowed doorway.

"Who's there?" Miroku questioned the mysterious voice.

A giant man resembling a boulder steeped out of the doorway into the light.

"I am Ishi, guardian of this sacred temple. State your purpose, intruders." he ordered.

"We are searching for a shard of the Shikon jewel. We believe it to be somewhere in your temple, good sir." Miroku informed in politely.

The giant was about to respond when Kagome stepped up to Miroku's side tentatively. Ishi stared at her, for a moment, before inclining his head towards her.

"So, you have finally come." he stated.

"Huh? Do you know me? " Kagome asked, completely confused.

"I have been awaiting your arrival for centuries, young one. Though I must admit I am slightly disappointed by your small stature, and your demeanor. One such as yourself should stand tall and confident, not cower in uncertainty and fear." Ishi told her.

"Hey! I am not cowering, I'm just a little nervous. It's not every day I run into a giant rock creature, ya know! And I have no idea who you are or what you're talking about!" she cried indignantly.

Ishi regarded her for a moment, mulling her words over in his head.

"So I have the honor of being your first , then." he said.

"First what? What are you talking about?"

"You must defeat me in battle, after you have completed that task, I shall explain." Ishi told her cryptically.

"I'm your only opponent boulder brain!" Inuyasha shouted, finally freeing himself from beneath the stone. "You leave Kagome out of this!"

Ishi turned to the hanyou irritably. "Silence fool. I have no business with you." he said, stomping on the ground with one foot. For the first second, it appeared nothing had happened, but the next, the stone Inuyasha had just been trapped under flew into the air to smack into the side of the hanyou's head with stunning force, effectively knocking him out cold.

Ishi focused on the rest of the group. "Keep your distance, this fight is between me and the girl." he told them. "Trust that I will not harm her."

Sango and Miroku glanced apprehensively back and forth between themselves and Kagome, but reluctantly steeped back.

"Why me?" Kagome asked the giant.

"It has always been you, my dear. Your destiny starts here, now fight!" Ishi shouted, stomping again on the ground sending a storm of small rocks flying at the girl.

Kagome yelped, and barely managed to dodge the rain of stones. She had no time to relax, as another stream of gravel came barreling down on her. Shooting arrow after arrow wildly, she desperately tried to hit the giant. Missing once again, she jumped away from the new onslaught of earth. She didn't know how long she had been avoiding the swarm of detached terrain being casually thrown at her by the strange creature, but she was getting tired. She rolled out of the way of yet another large boulder. Standing quickly, she pulled out her bow, and fired her last arrow directly at the heart of her opponent. Catching him by surprise, the glowing shaft hit the mark dead on.

Instead of disappearing into a pile of ash, Ishi merely relaxed his stance and smiled at her.

"Well done, young one, but you used much energy to conquer such a simple feat. But, I yield, you have won." he half congratulated, half scolded her.

The world around Kagome was spinning. She had indeed used a lot of energy dodging his attacks, and promptly passed out.

Ishi caught the woman's tiny form before she hit the ground, and held her gently.

"Rest easy, young one. You have much to learn, and a short time to learn it. Let the world, however, rejoice, for the Avatar has finally returned."

**A/N: I Do Not Own Avatar: The Last Air Bender Either!!!! Anyway, here it is. The next chap. Should be up soon! Please read and review! Thanx!**

**CoS**


	2. Earth and Explanations

**A/N: Wow, how bad do I suck? I am soo sorry it took me four stinking months to update this. I really have no excuses other than I just plain suck. I am going to do my absolute best not to keep you waiting that long again, assuming anyone is still waiting on this that is. The beginning of this chapter might seem a little boring, but it had to be done. Hopefully no one will dislike it though. Thanx to everyone who reviewed the first chapter, I hope I don't disappoint with this one.**

**DISCLAIMER: I Do Not Own Inuyasha, Or Avatar: The Last Air Bender.**

**The Difficult Road To Destiny...**

It had been only a few minutes since Kagome had battled the rock creature, Ishi. She lay unconscious on a bed roll inside the temple with Shippo nestled beside her sleeping peacefully, while the rest of the group sat curiously around the strange stone man.

"I suppose you want some explanations." Ishi stated.

"Yes, there is much that we do not understand." Miroku answered.

Ishi sighed, sitting on a large stone chair in the middle of the group. "It began long ago, about three millennia to be precise. The sages of the natural elements had a vision, prophesying the coming of a great and terrible evil that would wreak havoc over the whole of the earth. The sages, terrified for the fate of this world and it's inhabitants, prayed to the Kami for salvation of all. Their prayers were answered with the birth of a baby girl, the avatar." he said, pausing to let that information sink in.

"But what is the avatar? And what does it have to do with Kagome?" Sango asked, more than slightly confused.

"The avatar is an immensely powerful being that is put on earth only in times of major crisis. It is meant to restore order to the world, keeping it safe and balanced. Your friend is the avatar, born unto this world three thousand years ago." Ishi told them.

"Keh, fat lot you know! Kagome is only eighteen and is from five hundred years in the future. There is no way she's been alive for that long." Inuyasha scoffed.

Ishi shot the hanyou a withering look before continuing. "She was sent to the future along with her mother and unborn brother until the time came when she was needed and old enough to protect herself and every other living being."

"But why did the Kami send her to earth so early? I mean, should she have stayed in her time, she would never have lived that long." Sango questioned.

"The sages did not know when the Great Evil would appear, but they knew they had to ask for assistance. True, their prayers were answered many years before the problem actually came forth, but had come nonetheless. They knew that their protector needed protection until the time came. They placed an enchantment on an old dry well in a remote area, allowing the child and her mother to pass through time itself to a period deemed safer by the Kami. When she was needed here, the well would pull her back, so that she may follow the path laid down for her by destiny. That is how your friend has remained. Years may have gone by here, but she lived and aged normally in the future."

"I see." Miroku nodded understandingly.

"Keh! Sounds like a big load of shit if you ask me. Kagome can't even protect herself half the time, how's she supposed to beat Naraku?" Inuyasha derided.

"Then it's a good thing no one asked you, now did they hanyou. Your ignorant opinion is completely irrelevant and not worth even listening to. So, why not keep that annoyingly gaped hole you call a mouth shut and let the grown ups talk, hmm." Ishi responded cooly.

"Why you..." Inuyasha started.

"Sit."

CRASH!

"Kagome, how long have you been awake? Are you alright?" Miroku asked, ignoring Inuyasha's dirt muffled growls.

"Yeah, I am feeling ok. And I've been up long enough to hear Ishi's explanation." Kagome told them, exhaustion rimming her normally sparkling blue orbs. "I gotta say, no offense Ishi, but I am a little skeptical about the whole thing. I mean, if all that's true, how come my mom never told me?"

"That I cannot answer, young one. I am, however, sure that she had your best interests at heart. Regardless, you are indeed the avatar. I can sense the power of the elements within you. I am quite pleased to see the seals have remained intact." Ishi remarked.

"Seals?" Kagome asked.

"Ah yes, I hadn't mentioned that part yet. Each element has been locked away deep within you by the four masters. I am the earth bending master, hence my name." he explained. "You must complete each task set before by myself and the other three masters, and in doing so you will break the seals away so that you may conquer the power inside yourself. You have achieved your first in defeating me. Now it is my duty to pass on all my knowledge and skill to you."

Kagome closed her eyes tightly, trying let this shocking news set in her brain. "And you are absolutely sure it's me? You haven't made a mistake?"

" No child, I am sure it is you. How many people do you suppose travel through your well?" he said with a gentle smile. "Now, I suggest you get a good nights rest. Your lessons begin at dawn."

Kagome nodded absently, still deep in thought as the giant walked out of the room.

She looked around at her friends to find them staring at her with unreadable expressions.

"What?" she asked irritably.

"It's just very surprising. We all knew you had strong spiritual powers, but this... is just very unexpected." Miroku said.

"It also means that you aren't actually Kikyo's reincarnation. You were born years before her." Sango pointed out.

"That's true. I guess our similar looks are just a weird coincidence, huh?" Kagome said.

"Indeed, for all we know, you could be her aunt. With an infinite number of greats of course." Miroku stated.

"Don't say it like that, you make me feel old. Plus that's just creepy. She's older than me." Kagome chided reproachfully.

"I still think that asshole's full of shit." Inuyasha grumped, coming to sit against a wall near them. "There's no way Kagome can do anything other than get captured and occasionally get a lucky shot and hit something with her arrow."

Kagome glared at him, her temper rising. "And how would you know, baka? How is it you know so much about something we all just learned about today?"

"Keh, I know what I have seen the past few years, and it ain't no all powerful being."

"Aghhh! I am so tired of you always calling me weak!" she fumed, standing up to glower at him more fiercely. " I have worked my butt off to gain control of my spiritual powers only for you to piss and moan about how I will never be as good as Kikyo. Well you know what? I am through listening to you complain! Kikyo will always be better than me in your eyes, but at least I know that I have her beat at something! Cuz it will be me that defeats Naraku, not that undead evil excuse for a miko!" Kagome screamed, her anger radiating off her in waves.

Unbeknownst to her, the stone walls, floor and ceiling of the temple began to shake forcefully as Kagome's ire reached it's peak.

"Nothing I do is ever enough, and I am tired of hearing all your crap! So from now on, you keep your negative comments to yourself or so help me, I will s-i-t you to the lowest level of hell! And if you don't like it, there's the door!" she cried, her fisted hands trembling in sync with the surrounding rock surfaces. With one last death look to Inuyasha, she closed her eyes and sighed, calming down and walked out of the room. As her anger receded, so did the tremors in the walls.

"I thought she was scary before when she got mad, but that... whoa." Sango shuddered.

"I think it best if you didn't make Kagome angry for a while, Inuyasha. I know that will be difficult for you, but try. At least until she gets her new powers under control so she doesn't bring the mountain down on us." Miroku advised the hanyou, who was trembling with wide eyes in his corner.

"Keh!" he replied without the usual bite in his tone.

"Baka." Sango said with a shake of her head. "I'm going to go find Kagome."

Kagome was sitting just outside the temple entrance when Sango found her.

"Kagome, are you alright?" Sango asked.

"Yeah, I am just a little overwhelmed at the moment, and Inuyasha isn't really helping." Kagome replied, wiping the remnants of her tears off her face.

"Well, if it's any consolation, Miroku and I believe in you. We've never thought you to be weak."

Kagome smiled. "I know, and that really means a lot. I just wish Inuyasha would be a little easier on me sometimes. It's not like I don't try, I do. But I have this feeling that no matter what I do, it won't be enough." Kagome said, her tears slowly making their way back down her cheeks.

Sango looked at her for a moment. "We're not just talking about what happened in the temple anymore, are we?"

Kagome sighed softly. "Doesn't matter. Everything's fine. Really." she told her best friend with a forced smile.

Sango clearly didn't believe the younger girl, but nodded and stood anyway. "I am going back inside, don't stay out to late, ok? I have a feeling you're going to need you're energy tomorrow."

"I'll be in shortly, mom." Kagome said with a grin.

Sango smiled, and went back inside the temple.

_' It's true after all. I will never be enough in his eyes.'_ Kagome thought sullenly. _'Maybe it's time I let him go?'_

The next morning, Kagome awoke to Ishi's booming voice.

"Time to get up young one! Training begins at sun up!" the rock man shouted.

"Nnnnng, the sun isn't even up yet?" Kagome groaned.

"Training starts at first light, there for you need to be up before then." Ishi told her.

Kagome grimaced, and planted her face back in her sleeping bag.

"Come along, child. Your powers aren't going to train themselves." he said, shoving her out of her blanket with a boulder like foot.

"Alright already!" she yelled despairingly. With one last longing look at her bed, Kagome got up, changed and started digging in her pack for some semblance of breakfast.

"I would recommend only eating a small, light meal if you must have something this morning. Until you get used to the strenuous work we are going to be doing, eating more than a few bites of something will more than likely make you sick." Ishi advised.

Kagome glared at her sensei, before grabbing a pop-tart and biting into it indignantly.

One of Ishi's brow met with his hairline, and he shrugged. "Suit yourself, you will learn."

Kagome stuck her artificial cherry flavored tongue out at the stone youkai, who chuckled and motioned for her to move it along.

Much to Kagome's dismay, Ishi's version of hard work was **very** different from her own. Kagome thought she was in the best shape of her life, figured she could take on anything, aside from Naraku that is. But oh, how wrong she had been.

Ishi expected her to run two miles, nonstop. That part wouldn't have been so bad due to the rest of her feudal adventures, **if** she had listened to Ishi about her breakfast. She had barely jogged a quarter of a mile before her stomach decided it was on a diet. Kagome would have been all for a diet normally, but one of the bulimic persuasion. Next, she had to do numerous sets of different strength training exercises with Ishi's rock weights. That gave her muscles a bit of a burn, but once her stomach was done rebelling, nothing she couldn't handle. She had mentioned that much to Ishi, and he tripled the amount of weight and reps. Then came the pushups. Her audience, specifically Inuyasha, had laughed a great deal at her expense when it took her an hour and a half to do even one correctly, and Kagome was to tired to even sit him. Apparently she needed to work on her upper body strength.

And, boy did Ishi agree. The next three weeks were concentrated on precisely that, and it had been hell. Ishi worked his student to what she felt was within an inch of her very life, and from what she could see, felt absolutely no remorse.

By eight weeks, however, Kagome began to notice the difference. Her entire body had changed from gangly, to toned. She still had soft curves where it counted, but the rest of her was hard muscle. Over all she rather liked it, and from the looks she was getting from the men in her group, so did they. She could now run fifteen miles up a mountain, with a fifty pound rock strapped to her back, twenty pounds on each leg, and fifteen on each arm. Nothing compared to what she had seen some of the more beefy guys doing at the gym back in her time, but quite impressive nonetheless. She had only seen a few females that could top her on this. She had even surpassed Sango in brute strength, a feat not easily achieved. Almost nothing Ishi threw at the girl phased her anymore. Of course, she didn't dare say that to her sensei or he would surely prove her wrong.

By ten weeks, Ishi woke her with a different tone than she had become accustomed to.

"Get up, child. We have much to learn today." the giant told her with a gentle shake to the shoulder.

Kagome sat up and stretched languidly, having long since learned not to argue with her master about such things as her schedule. "Are we running up the mountain this morning sensei?" Kagome asked respectfully.

"The time for physical preparation has passed. Today, will begin your mastery of earth bending." he said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Really?" Kagome asked excitedly.

"Really. The strength of your body has increased greatly, and there is almost no danger of being squashed under the pressure now."

"Almost no danger?" she inquired a bit warily.

Ishi shrugged. "The peril exists in your mental strength now. If you cannot focus completely on what you are doing until you master this power, you will lose control of the element." he said nonchalantly.

"Better keep Inuyasha away from me for a while then, or I'll never get anything done." Kagome muttered, following a chuckling Ishi to the arena.

"Breathe deeply, concentrate on what you want done, and will the earth to comply." Ishi told her, while going through the basic motions of earth bending. "You must know that you are in control. You are the master, and the earth your servant. But, you must also be respectful, for abusing the terra will end in tragedy. You must always remember you were given this gift to bring balance to the world, not cause it more distress."

"Yes, sensei." Kagome replied, following his movements exactly.

Ishi nodded approvingly, and paused his motions. "Now, focus on those two rocks. Focus, and break the smaller one on the large ones surface."

Kagome closed her eyes, and positioned herself as she was instructed. She stomped her right foot forward and threw her fist out at the smaller rock. Nothing happened. She sighed, determined not to let it bother her, but after a dozen or so failures, she got frustrated. Turning to Ishi, Kagome was about to ask what she was doing wrong when a mocking laugh came from the top of the ravine.

"Look, I'm the all powerful avatar Kagome. Watch, as I bend these rocks to my will!" Inuyasha cried while juggling three small rocks above his head.

"Inuyasha." Kagome growled warningly, her temper rising.

Being used to this tone, the hanyou ignored her. What he did find a bit startling however, was Ishi's smug grin. As he contemplated this, Inuyasha kept up his juggling oblivious to Kagome's growing ire. Then the ground began to tremble violently.

The combination of her defeat at the hands of the two rocks, and Inuyasha's teasing was too much for Kagome to handle at the moment. An infrasonic wave ripped though the arena, startling both Ishi and Inuyasha. Glancing down at the once fragile girl, the youkai froze at what they saw.

Kagome's aura was swirling around her in currents great enough to make the very ocean jealous. Her head turned towards Inuyasha sharply, her glowing blue eyes so intense, the hanyou felt as though they may burn him alive.

Without warning, a vortex appeared around her waist, raising her above her now trembling companion.

Glaring down at Inuyasha, Kagome's limbs spread akimbo, she smirked a terrifying smirk.

"Bad dog." she scolded in a voice laced with others not her own, before her right fist sprang forward and a pillar of fire exploded from her knuckles.

Inuyasha turned to run, but the ground beneath him dissolved, sending him careening to the bottom of the paved gorge. "Kagome!" he yelled, his tone openly displaying his panic.

In a rush of movement, Kagome formed a stone box around the hanyou and swallowed it in flames.

Ishi was about to interfere, suddenly afraid his student intended to kill her friend; but the fire disappeared leaving a thick glass cage encasing a fearful hanyou in the fetal position.

The stone giant chuckled as Kagome's glowing form began it's descent. He caught her as her feet touched ground, and looked into her eyes.

Kagome smiled weakly, and promptly passed out.

Ishi carried her back to the temple, ignoring the flustered Inuyasha banging on the walls of his cage. He lay the unconscious girl on her strange bedding, and pushed a stray hair out of her face.

"There is no room to doubt yourself now, my little avatar." He told her gently.

"What happened?" Sango asked curiously.

Ishi laughed, calling out to the taijiya. "I think that is a question best answered by Kagome and the hanyou."

Miroku and Sango exchanged a wary glance, and went to find Inuyasha.

Shippo took this opportunity to steal some strawberry pocky from Kagome's bag. Sitting down with his sweets, he grabbed his crayons and continued his drawing.

"I bet whatever it is, it's all that big bully Inuyasha's fault." the kit said to himself.

Inuyasha was fuming by the time Sango and Miroku found him.

"Get me the fuck outta here!" he shouted, banging on his confines.

The monk and the taijiya stood unmoving with twin expressions of shock on their faces.

"I can't hear a word he's saying, can you?" Sango questioned her companion.

"Not a peep." Miroku replied, putting his cursed hand on the glass structure. "I can feel Kagome's power in this, however. I wonder how she did it."

"Kagome did this? It's amazing!" Sango exclaimed, moving to touch the cube's clear surface.

"It seems completely sound proof." Miroku mused, ignoring the outraged hanyou inside.

"Should we try to get him out?"

"I don't see any openings or doors, so I can only assume Kagome intended for him to stay here for awhile. And," he said, knocking on the solid wall, "something tells me we wouldn't be able to break it anyway."

Sango nodded. "Well, I guess it's time to find some dinner and turn in then."

"I agree." Miroku said.

"Where the fuck are you going, you bastards!" Inuyasha yelled as he watched the two retreating forms of his pack members. "You have to let me out!"

Inuyasha pounded on the walls of his prison to emphasize his point, but his friends kept walking away. "Come on! I'm hungry!" he whined pathetically.

Kagome found herself up before Ishi came to get her the following morning. She felt strangely satisfied, and rested.

"Good morning, young one. I trust you slept well?" Ishi greeted her as he sat down.

"Good morning to you as well. And I feel spectacular, actually." Kagome responded.

Ishi grinned. "Wonderful. I have a feeling we are going to make much progress today."

"Can we join you today, Kagome?" Miroku requested.

Kagome shrugged. "I don't see why not, as long as you don't distract my practice."

"You won't even know we're there." Sango promised.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see what you've learned Kagome!" Shippo cheered excitedly.

Kagome smiled at the kit, as she scooped him up and headed outside.

Entering the arena, Shippo jumped off Kagome's shoulder laughing hysterically. She 'eeped' as she saw Inuyasha trapped in a glass box.

"How did you get in there? And where did you find this anyway?" Kagome asked, tapping on the transparent box.

"Why, you created that, and locked him up in it." Ishi said passively.

"Huh?" Kagome replied, thinking over that statement. "I did, didn't I. How did I do it again?"

Ishi chuckled. "He irritated you right into the Avatar State."

"The Avatar State?" Kagome asked, confused once more.

Nodding, Ishi explained. "Until you learn to control it, the Avatar State comes forth when the avatar itself feels threatened, or in this case, loses it's grasp on it's emotions. You see, every avatar can access itself in it's past lives. The Avatar state is a manifestation of all the power possessed by this being, past and present. This is how you were able to fire bend even though that ability is still sealed within you, and why you manipulated the earth with skill you have yet to reach. Once you have mastered all four elements, you will be able to train yourself to control the Avatar state as well. You will most likely need this skill to defeat this Naraku fellow."

"Oh." the group replied collectively.

Kagome glanced back at the pitiful looking hanyou. "I guess I should let him out."

"That is totally up to you, he could probably survive a week or more in there." Ishi said.

"Yeah, but still. I think he's suffered enough."

"If you say so."

"I do. Now would you mind explaining how I am to accomplish this?"

Fifteen minutes later, Kagome, confident she wouldn't accidentally crush her crush, positioned herself in front of the box.

With one swooping movement, the glass shattered and turned to sand.

Swallowing her achievement and walking up to her love, Kagome put a concerned hand on his shaking shoulder. "Are you ok, Inuyasha?"

"Keh, it's about damn time, wench! What the hell were you thinking?" Inuyasha shouted rudely.

Kagome snatched her hand back and glared at him. "You deserved it for making fun of me you jerk!"

"I'll show you who's deserving of what!"

"SIT!"

As Inuyasha was reacquainted with his close friend the ground, Kagome pointed an angry finger at his crater. "If you don't shut your stupid mouth, I am going to put you right back in there, dog boy!"

She turned her back just as the spell wore off, and Inuyasha tackled her from behind, taking hold of her arms and pinning down her legs.

"Can't do your bending crap if ya can't move! And ya can't sit me again without eatin dirt yourself!" Inuyasha cried triumphantly.

Kagome struggled fruitlessly against Inuyasha's iron grip. As much as she had dreamed of the hanyou lying on top of her, holding her body beneath his own, this was not even close to what she had in mind.

"Enough!" Ishi's voice boomed from above the pair. Without another word, a pillar knocked Inuyasha off Kagome, and a huge boulder sailed into him and smashed the yelping hanyou into the side of the canyon.

Ishi extended his hand and helped his pupil up. "Shall we continue my dear?" he asked pleasantly.

Kagome dusted herself off and glowered at Inuyasha's twitching hand, which was all that could be seen sticking out from under the boulder. Clearing her throat, Kagome faced her sensei and firmly nodded her head.

Ten more weeks past with Kagome training as hard as her human body would allow before Ishi told her it was time to move on.

"You have learned all I have to teach you, young one, and as much as I will miss your presence in these dusty old ruins, it is time for you to proceed to your next master." he told her fondly.

"Where will I find him, sensei?" Kagome asked with tears shining in her cerulean orbs.

"That I can not tell you child. Finding your teachers is part of the challenge destiny has laid out for you." Noticing the look on her face, the rock giant chuckled. "As silly as it may seem, it is necessary."

"We're all packed up, wench! Let's get a move on!" Inuyasha called from outside the temple doors.

Kagome sighed, eyebrow twitching irritably. She bowed to Ishi, but was pulled into a crushing embrace.

"Hehe, I'll miss you too, sensei."

"Goodbye, and good luck young one. I have the utmost faith in you, and I expect a visit once you have taken care of this Naraku beast." he said sincerely.

"I promise I will be back, master." Kagome replied wistfully.

"Sometime today, bitch!"

"I'm coming, Inuyasha!" Kagome said exasperatedly. With a final squeeze, Ishi released her and she walked outside to meet her group.

"Bout time." Inuyasha growled.

Kagome punched the side of the mountain and brought an avalanche of rocks down on the petulant hanyou. Stretching luxuriously, she smiled at the rest of her friends. "Shall we?"

Chuckling softly, the monk, the taijiya, the firecat and the kit followed the girl from the future into the wilderness once more, leaving a grumpy hanyou between a big rock and a hard place.

That night, the group sat around the fire in their little clearing in peace. Inuyasha was pouting in a tree, while Kagome, Sango and Miroku tried to plot out some kind of course.

"Ishi didn't give any sort of clue at all?" Sango asked.

"Nope, he said figuring all this out was part of my task." Kagome replied with a huff.

"I have heard of a massive library with scrolls as old as time. Perhaps we can find some information there." Miroku suggested.

"No fucking way! We have wasted enough time as it is on this shit. We need to find more jewel shards and find Naraku!" Inuyasha shouted from his perch.

Miroku reached up, and cracked the base of his staff against the hanyous skull. "That is precisely what we are trying to do, Inuyasha. We cannot defeat Naraku until Kagome masters her new found powers. Try paying attention once and a while."

"Keh, I still think the old codger was full of shit." Inuyasha quipped, rubbing the lump between his ears with w wince,

"How can you even say that after you have seen what Kagome can do now? You are such a baka!" Sango rebuked him fiercely.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to reply, but was silenced by a glare from Kagome.

"This is what we are doing, Inuyasha. If you don't like it, feel free to leave. Should you decide to stay, however, then you will keep your nasty comments to yourself and keep your voice down, cuz if you wake Shippo up, I am going to s-i-t you til I find water underground. Got it?" Kagome said seriously.

Inuyasha 'keh'd ' but shut his mouth, and leapt off into the forest.

"So where is this library, Miroku?" Sango asked getting back on topic.

"In the heart of the western lands." the monk replied.

"Inuyasha's not going to like that." Sango commented.

"Not to mention we will have to travel smack dab into Sesshomaru's territory." Kagome added quietly. "Somehow, I don't think he'll take to kindly to that."

"Indeed. However, I see no other option. We will have to use the utmost care and caution should we run into him. We can't just wander around Japan hoping to stumble across something." Miroku reasoned.

"He's right, Kagome. We really don't have another choice." Sango said.

"I know." Kagome acquiesced. "I agree, but I still don't like it."

"Well, let's get some shut eye, shall we? We have a long way to go tomorrow." Miroku suggested.

Nodding warily, the females settled in to sleep.

Strange dreams plagued Kagome that night. An unknown being caressing her, taking away her stress and worries. All that she could see of this mystery person was glowing amber eyes.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed! The next chapter should be out within the week. I think I have gotten back into the writing groove a bit, so I will keep trudging along. If anyone has any ideas, I would be glad to hear them. Please review! Hugs!**

**CoS**


	3. Strangers in the Night

**A/N: This chapter is for the lovely casedeputy, for positively making my day with her review. And a giant cookie for caitibug323 for her also wonderful review. This chapter will mostly be lemony stuff, which is a completely different area code from where I had originally thought it would be. I have been reading too much from the very talented LC Rose lately, so blame her for being so totally awesome with smuttyness. I only wish I could get on her level. Anyone who hasn't read any of her stories, should. They are some of the best you'll find.**

**A/N partII: Sorry this is so late. Old compy blew up, ate all my docs and I had to buy a new one. Never buy a computer at Walmart. Their warranty sucks. **

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA OR AVATAR THE LAST AIR BENDER.**

Kagome found herself wandering in the dark woods. She couldn't remember how she got there and even more disconcerting, she had no idea where she was.

She stopped in a small clearing and looked around trying to get her bearings. It looked pretty much like every other clearing she had seen here, so she sat down with a huff to wait for Inuyasha to find her.

_'Maybe I had to pee or something, and just went to relieve myself without realizing it.'_ Kagome thought, trying to figure out how she'd landed herself in the 'helpless maiden needing to be rescued' role again. _'Why can't it ever be Sango? I am just as capable of defending myself as she is now, yet I am still the one who gets lost. Why me?'_ her mind wailed tragically.

*_Because Sango isn't directionally retarded_.* a very unhelpful female voice told her.

Kagome looked around on high alert. "Who's there?"

The voice chuckled. _*You won't find me out there, darlin. I am only in your mind.*_

"In my mind, as in a figment of my imagination and am going crazy, or is this some creepy ' I'm trying to take over your soul' thing?" Kagome asked warily.

_*Take it however you wish.*_

Kagome sighed. "Well, you don't give me a creepy vibe, so I am just going to assume I have gone and lost my mind along with my location."

_*As you wish.*_

"I'm not going to like you, am I." she replied, more a statement than a question.

_*That is all up to you dear. But, you have company. I will return at a later time.*_

"Huh? What company?" Kagome inquired, but the voice was gone.

Kagome sat there muttering to herself about annoying voices and possible medications from her time to possibly shut it up permanently, when a sharp spike of youki stabbed at her senses.

"Who's there?" Kagome growled. _'Deja vu much?'_ she thought.

Blazing amber orbs glowed through the darkness of the treeline.

"I-Inuyasha?" Kagome stuttered hopefully.

A low growl answered her.

"Of course not." she grumbled.

Darkness surrounded her suddenly. Now, she was essentially blinded as well as lost and in the presence of who knows what in the forest.

**Lemon used to be here, removed due to content rules I previously ignored. Please see my profile on Dokuga for all lemons. Link is on my profile. Sorry for the inconvenience!**

Kagome felt better than she could ever remember feeling before. She looked up to where her lover's face would be and tried once again to make out some detail.

The light was coming back. She could see it barely breaking through the barrier of trees surrounding the clearing. Just a little more and she would know her mystery male. Excitement flooded her belly as she waited for the darkness to clear.

An annoying twitching in her crotch area startled Kagome out of her reverie. She opened her sleep heavy eyes with the realization that the entire encounter had been a dream. She found she was actually disappointed by this, though, if sex was as good awake as it was in her dream, she really couldn't wait to try it.

The movement between her eyes hadn't left with her subconscious mind though. She was most definitely awake now, and something was most definitely down there. Sitting up slowly, Kagome searched for the cause and balked at what she found.

Inuyasha was on all fours, nose in her groin sniffing wildly.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" she screamed, waking the rest of their entourage.

Inuyasha jumped back, red face a blustering. "I-I...None of your business wench!" he shouted.

"You were sniffing my...my personal parts! How is that not my business? You had better explain yourself dog boy, or I will bury you!" she threatened, stomping on the ground and bringing a large boulder to her side.

"You smelled different okay! I couldn't help it. I'm still a male ya know." he replied quietly.

Kagome's eyes widened as she realized what it was he had smelled. Total and utter embarrassment joined her ire. "SIT!" she cried, lobbing the boulder at the hanyou shaped crater in the ground, sealing him in his hole.

Turning to her friends, she glared warningly. "Don't any of you say a word. I am going to take a bath, and I don't want to be bothered."

Kagome quickly and quietly grabbed her things and barged out of the clearing to the nice cold river over the hill.

**A/N: Alright, that's it for this one. A lot shorter than normal, but D'D night burned out my brain. I am going to start the next chapter tomorrow, and I finally have a beta to fix all my mistakes. So it should be better. She will also make sure I get this up in a timely manner. Which is good. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Please read and review. 3 you all!**

**CoS**


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